The present invention relates to a service providing system, a coin counting machine, and a service providing apparatus.
A coin counting machine (hereinafter referred to as a coin box) which is connected to a predetermined service providing apparatus such as a karaoke apparatus and accepts an input of a coin as a compensation for provision of service (hereinafter referred to as a service compensation) is known. A coin box of such a type increments the number of credits in accordance with the amount of input value (usually the number of coins of a specific kind), and performs the accounting by decrementing the number of credits, which was set in the coin box, by a number corresponding to the service compensation in response to a control signal supplied from a service providing apparatus that has completed the provision of the service. In general, the coin box sets a numerical value corresponding to a service compensation, and transmits a signal indicating whether the number of remaining credits is equal to or larger than the set value or not, to the service providing apparatus. The service providing apparatus detects whether the remaining credits satisfy the service compensation or not in accordance with the signal supplied from the coin box (but the service providing apparatus does not know the number of remaining credits). If the remaining credits satisfy the service compensation, the service providing apparatus starts the provision of service. When the provision of service is completed, the service providing apparatus outputs a control signal directing the coin box to decrement the number of remaining credits. In response to the control signal, the coin box decrements the number of remaining credits by a set value corresponding to the service compensation.
As described above, in the prior art, a value corresponding to a service compensation is set in the coin box, and the comparison of the remaining credits with the service compensation is also performed in the coin box. In addition, only the information indicating whether the remaining credits satisfy the service compensation or not is provided to the service providing apparatus. For this reason, it is difficult, for example, to change a service compensation in accordance with various conditions, or to perform settings for a plurality of different service compensations. Thus, there exists a problem in that the prior art lacks the flexibility.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described background. It is an object of the invention to provide a service providing system, a coin counting machine, and a service providing apparatus which has excellent flexibility in setting service compensations.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of a first aspect is a service providing system comprising: a coin counting machine which accepts an input of a coin; and a service providing apparatus which provides a predetermined service in accordance with the input of a coin, wherein
the coin counting machine comprises:
counting means for incrementing the number of credits in a predetermined unit in accordance with an input of a coin, and for decrementing the number of credits in response to a control signal supplied from the service providing apparatus; and
informing means for informing the service providing apparatus of the number of remaining credits in the counting means, and
the service providing apparatus comprises:
setting means for setting a value corresponding to a compensation of a service to be provided;
service providing means for providing the service on condition that the number of remaining credits informed by the informing means is equal to or larger than the value set by the setting means; and
accounting means for outputting a control signal which directs that the number of remaining credits in the coin counting machine be decremented by a number corresponding to the value set by the setting means, as an account for the service.
The invention of a second aspect is a system in which the service providing system of the first aspect is configured so that
the service providing apparatus comprises a host computer, and a service providing terminal which is connected to the host computer via a communication line, and
the service providing terminal provides the service and sets the compensation based on data distribution from the host computer.
The invention of a third aspect is a coin counting machine which is to be applied to the service providing system of the first or second aspect, and which comprises:
counting means for incrementing the number of credits in a predetermined unit in accordance with an input of a coin, and for decrementing the number of credits in response to the control signal supplied from the service providing apparatus; and
informing means for informing the service providing apparatus of the number of remaining credits in the counting means.
The invention of a fourth aspect is a service providing apparatus which is to be applied to the service providing system of the first or second aspect, and which comprises:
setting means for setting a value corresponding to a compensation of a service to be provided;
service providing means for providing the service on condition that the number of remaining credits informed by the informing means is equal to or larger than the value set by the setting means; and
accounting means for outputting a control signal which directs that the number of remaining credits in the coin counting machine be decremented by a number corresponding to the value set by the setting means as an account for the service.